Laundry services are commonly offered in a commercial setting, in which multiple washing machines and dryers are available for use to the public or a group of individuals. Similar services may be offered in other settings, such as multi-family housing, dormitories, hotels, or on cruise ships. After laundry is deposited in a machine, the machine may lock until the machine operations have concluded. However, unless machine operations are supervised, the machine user typically cannot prevent a third party from removing laundry from the machine. Moreover, third parties may be prevented from using a machine if a prior user does not promptly remove his laundry upon conclusion of machine operations.